# How to add a competitor analysis MCP server to Claude Code, Codex and Cursor

By Rotomal team · Updated 2026-10-16 · Part of [Competitor Analysis MCP](https://rotomal.com/competitor-analysis-mcp/)

**Short answer:** Add https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp as a remote HTTP MCP server: claude mcp add --transport http rivalsweeper https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp in Claude Code, codex mcp add rivalsweeper --url https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp in Codex, or a url entry in Cursor's mcp.json. Then sign in with your RivalSweeper account when the client asks, and ask what your rivals changed this week.

## Before you start

You need a paid RivalSweeper plan, because MCP is not part of the 14-day trial, and at least one rival added in the app. Brands added in the last 24 hours may not have data yet. Agent builders without a plan can request a developer API key on the Signals API page and send it as a Bearer token instead of signing in.

## Claude Code

Add the server over HTTP, which is Claude Code's recommended transport for remote servers. Add --scope user to make it available in every project, or --scope project to share it through the repo's .mcp.json.

```
claude mcp add --transport http rivalsweeper https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp
```

Inside Claude Code, run /mcp, pick rivalsweeper and follow the browser sign-in. To revoke access later, use Clear authentication in the same menu.

## Codex CLI

Codex adds remote Streamable HTTP servers by URL and stores them in ~/.codex/config.toml.

```
codex mcp add rivalsweeper --url https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp
codex mcp login rivalsweeper
```

```
[mcp_servers.rivalsweeper]
url = "https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp"
# developer key instead of sign-in:
# bearer_token_env_var = "RIVALSWEEPER_API_KEY"
```

Check the server is registered with codex mcp list.

## Cursor

Add the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects, or .cursor/mcp.json for one project. Cursor shows a sign-in prompt for the server the first time it is needed.

```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rivalsweeper": { "url": "https://mcp.rivalsweeper.com/mcp" }
  }
}
```

## First prompts to test it

- "List the brands my RivalSweeper account tracks and their data status." (list_my_tracked_brands)
- "What did my rivals change in the last 7 days? Group by brand." (get_competitor_moves_feed)
- "Which rival discounts most often and how deep? Write it to docs/competitors/discounts.md." (get_discount_frequency_and_depth)
- "Which of my rivals' live Meta ads land on a broken page or an ended offer?" (find_ads_with_broken_pages_or_expired_offers)
- "How many tool calls have I used this month?" (get_my_usage_and_plan)

## Run it on a schedule

Once a prompt gives you the brief you want, run it without the interactive session: claude -p in Claude Code or codex exec in Codex, from cron or CI. Each run counts its tool calls against your plan: 1,000 a month on Basic, 10,000 on Pro.

## FAQ

### The client connected but tools ask me to sign in. Is that normal?

Yes. The server lists its tools without an account, and asks for sign-in on the first call that needs your data. Complete the browser sign-in and repeat the prompt.

### Can I use an API key instead of signing in?

Yes, for developer keys: send it as a Bearer token, for example with Codex's bearer_token_env_var or a header in Claude Code. Keys are billed as prepaid credits, while signed-in plan users are not.

## Sources

- Claude Code: connect to remote MCP servers, OAuth and scopes https://code.claude.com/docs/en/mcp
- Codex: MCP servers, codex mcp add --url, codex mcp login https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/extend/mcp?surface=cli
- RivalSweeper Signals API: endpoint, REST and credits https://www.rivalsweeper.com/solutions/signals-api

[Competitor Analysis MCP](https://rotomal.com/competitor-analysis-mcp/) does this for you, provided by RivalSweeper: https://www.rivalsweeper.com/landing/mcp-competitive-intelligence?utm_source=rotomal&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rotomal-usecases&utm_content=competitor-analysis-mcp&utm_term=agent
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Rotomal · https://rotomal.com/competitor-analysis-mcp/setup-claude-code-codex-cursor/ · hello@rotomal.com